Needlework and fancy stitchery have been in practice for centuries and since the work is done by hand, the resulting works both serve a useful purpose as well as being treasured heirlooms and works of art. Recently, there has been a continuing growth of interest and participation by individuals which has led to a proliferation of designs, devices and apparatus to aid in the field of needlework and the like. Many work supporting frames, such as embroidery hoops, tapestry frames, rug frames and the like have been provided for holding a piece of base material which is usually of a woven character. The piece of base material is held in a stretched or taut condition while an individual works on a design thereon using a needle and one or more colored threads or yarns to enhance the appearance of the base material. During this operation, the relatively small frames are held in one hand while the other hand is used for manipulating the needle and thread. Frequently, a large number of colors are to be worked into the base material which then makes in necessary to do a lot of knotting and cutting of the threads. Substantially all of the knotting and cutting are done on the reverse side of the base material so as to not detract from the design on the front side. This necessitates a frequent reversing of the working frame from the front to the back and from the back to the front.
Various prior art support structures and workpiece holders have attempted to address the problems of a convenient, adjustable support of these working frames to allow positioning of the working frame to a location convenient for the individual. Each of the prior art devices has attempted to bring the work closer to the individual, to enhance the convenience and comfort of the needleworker as well as to provide a stable base upon which to mount needlework or similar working frames. While all of these prior art support structures have provided acceptable results for the needleworkers, the continued development of the support structures have been directed towards providing additional features for the needleworker while continuing to provide the stable base upon which to mount the working frames.
Other advantages and objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the subsequent detailed description, appended claims and drawings.